Don't Forget
by John Reed
Summary: Chloe gets off of work early and finds an unexpected  and unwelcome  visitor waiting for her...
1. Calls and Prides

Meredith King was working a little later than usual. She felt a little guilty, knowing that Chloe would be home before her, even after working her shift at the clothing store. Still, she was rarely late and her daughter never seemed to mind.

She was still holding her cell phone, having just texted Chloe to tell her she would be late. She was smiling a little at how lucky she felt to have such a daughter, when the phone rang.

The caller was unknown. She almost didn't answer, but she sometimes dealt with people who her phone wouldn't know. "Hello?"

"Meredith King?" The voice was male and a little gruff..

"Yes," she replied, a little hesitantly.

"The mother of Chloe King?"

"Yes, who is this?" She was annoyed, but getting worried, though she tried not to let that show that in her voice.

"There's been an…" the voice hesitated before continuing, "an incident."

She hesitated, waiting for more, but finally asked "What do you mean? Where's Chloe?"

She no longer cared what she sounded like, she didn't care that her voice reflected that she was upset. She didn't bother to question the man when he didn't really answer her question. She just wrote the address he gave her and immediately headed in that direction

* * *

><p>Chloe was feeling guilty – again. Almost everything she did and said to her mother was a lie. She thought about telling her mom the truth almost every day lately. She had always managed to spin her way out of the lies, to keep her mom in the dark, but it didn't help with the guilt.<p>

"Don't lie. I need to be able to trust you."

Sometimes her mother's words haunted her. Could it really be as bad as Alek had said if she told her mother the truth? He wouldn't talk about what had happened when his adoptive parents found out about him. She could only imagine, and she did imagine. She imagined the worst.

"You might as well go. It's slow, I can take the last little bit and close up by myself." Lana's voice startled her.

The Uniter hesitated. She wasn't really thinking about the offer, she was more than willing to leave her job a little early. She was trying to orient herself – she had been completely lost in thought.

She quickly looked around the store and found that Lana was right, though it was not just slow – the store was empty.

Chloe forced a smile and managed to say "Thanks. See you tomorrow" as she gathered her things. She didn't look back as she headed out of the store, onto the street. She did notice that it felt a little weird to be leaving work alone – Amy or Paul was almost always with her. Even Alek walked with her from work sometimes, though she knew he was often around even if he wasn't right next to her. He might even be near now, though she couldn't see him. She couldn't see Alek or anything very remarkable at all.

She found her mind returning to guilt as she walked, though she tried to push that thought out of her mind by thinking about what she could do with the few extra minutes she had been given because she was off of work early.

"Chloe." The word was spoken softly, but it still startled her. She quickly found the speaker – a guy who was probably a little older than her. She immediately raised her guard. Strangers that knew her name never seemed to be up to any good.

She didn't speak, but gave him a questioning look.

"I'm Vicente. I'm sorry, I'd hope to meet the Uniter under different circumstances, but your mother…"

He let the words trail off. This couldn't be good, someone who called her 'the Uniter' and mentioned her mother in the same sentence.

"What about her?" She didn't try to control her voice – she let the tension she felt show.

Vicente broke eye contact briefly. She hoped she was making him nervous as he replied "she needs your help." He nodded towards a car and started walking towards it.

"You're Mai, right?" Chloe asked as she followed him.

Vicente nodded.

"Then you know that there's always someone with me and you know what I can do to you if anything happens to my mother."

She was intentionally harsh as she spoke the words, but he was not fazed. He simply nodded again and started to drive as soon as Chloe entered the car.

She eyed him warily as he drove. She knew she probably should be paying more attention to where they were going, she even knew it was stupid of her to be in there with him at all.

She also knew that someone was always with her, so she wouldn't be alone. Whoever Vicente was, whatever he was doing, just the fact that he mentioned her mother bothered her. She thought it would be a good idea to stay with him, see what he was up to.

Maybe she imagined it, but he did look a little nervous as he drove. He didn't speak at all. After a few minutes of watching him she decided that, Mai or not, she could take him in a fight if she had to.

* * *

><p>Alek was distraught. He wasn't sure how he had been subdued, but it had happened. When he woke up, when he frantically looked in the store, Chloe was gone. He was desperate for a few minutes and he searched and listened, finally relieved as he heard her voice. He ran to her as quickly as he could.<p>

His heart sank as he saw her getting into a car with another guy. He called her name, but if she heard, she ignored him.

He instinctively reached for his phone, but found nothing. It was gone. He barely considered looking for it – he could live without the phone. He couldn't live without Chloe. He had to figure out a way to follow them.

* * *

><p>"Where's my mom. Where are you taking me?"<p>

Vicente had been driving for more than half an hour, and though they were still somewhere in the city, it looked like he was leaving town rather than going someplace in it.

She could see he was getting nervous – she really felt some satisfaction because of it. Satisfaction and increasing anger. He still had barely spoken.

She didn't feel any fear. She knew she could take him if she needed to.

"Let me find a place to park." He finally said, glancing at her briefly before returning his eyes to the road. "We need to talk."

"We?" Chloe asked, flashing her claws briefly. "You need to talk, to tell me what you're doing and where my mom is."

"There" Vicente pointed towards a mall parking lot just before pulling into it. He drove to an isolated corner with few cars parked nearby.

Chloe glanced around only briefly before saying "My mom's not here. Where is she?"

Vicente shook his head. "This isn't about her, Chloe. This is about you."

Chloe glared. "What about me?"

Vicente looked at her, still a little nervous. "I didn't really believe what Lilah said about you, but maybe…"

"Lilah?" Chloe interrupted. She hesitated before she made the connection. "The one who came here from the Sao Paulo pride? The one who came here with Nikki and tried to force me go to Brazil?"

Vicente nodded. "The one who watched you kill Nikki. Lilah said she told you would pay for killing Nikki."

Chloe did not appreciate the memory. "Exactly who are you and why are you here?"

"Like I said, I'm Vicente – from the Sao Paulo pride. And I didn't come alone."


	2. The Mai at the Mall

"Trust your instincts." Chloe had been told to do this time after time, and she had started doing it. She didn't have to think about whether or not to get out of Vicente's car – she was out of it and running away with no thought at all.

She was a little surprised that he hadn't locked her door, and she did hear him call after her. "Chloe! Wait!"

She didn't wait, she ran on the asphalt, looking for someplace go and hide or at least where she would have an advantage of some kind before turning to fight him.

She heard him leave the car and run after her. He was fast, she knew he would eventually catch her.

As she ran, scanning the area, she remembered the many times she had told Alek to stop watching her, or to take the night off. She was glad he had ignored her, that he had been with her when she needed him. She still hoped he or someone else was near her now, though she was starting to have doubts.

"Chloe!" she heard Vicente say again. He was getting close. She finally picked a direction, towards what looked like a park next to the mall parking lot. She had almost reached the grass when she noticed two others running towards her from different directions.

She had no trouble telling that they were Mai, Mai in attack mode. She turned to the closest and ran towards him, trying to come up with a strategy that would give her a chance.

She did manage to duck as he took a swing at her. She passed him but turned quickly, and was a little relieved to see that he was slower about turning himself A quick kick and a slice with her claws and he was down, though not out.

She glanced to where the other Mai had been coming from. He was fighting Vicente. She didn't recognize him, but was relieved that she was no longer alone, that whoever was watching her had finally caught up with them.

She turned back to her own fight, realizing after a few seconds that her attacker had slowed considerably after he hit the pavement. It wasn't long before she managed to grab him and send him head first into the pavement again.

She waited a few seconds to see if he moved again. When he didn't she turned towards the other fight. Vicente was above the other Mai, who was lying still on the payment – knocked out or worse.

Again she didn't hesitate, she just ran in the direction opposite of Vicente. Leaving his call of "Chloe!" as far behind as she could. She figured out she was running towards the mall, towards a wall, though not towards an entrance.

All right, she had decided she could take him – it was time to find out. She turned to face him. He was close, but had stopped and turned away from her. When she looked past him, she saw three others approaching them.

She whispered her plea, knowing Vicente would hear, hoping the others wouldn't. "Why are you doing this? We're the same."

He turned back to her, his expression hard to read. Was it anger? "It's not …" was all he said before he was interrupted.

"Vicente!" an approaching man called, causing Vicente to turn back to him. "You found her. I'm impressed."

"I didn't bring her here for you." Vicente replied in what Chloe could only describe as a growl.

The other man looked surprised. "But of course you did. It was the plan." He then nodded towards Chloe and said "Mariana."

Chloe was startled to see that a girl, who had been standing next to the man, suddenly moved towards her with Mai-like quickness – and a knife.

She managed to duck, but barely got out of the way. "You're trying to kill me?" she asked as her attacked turned back towards her.

Mariana glared back at her. "You killed Nikki. But I hear she took a couple of your lives away before you got to her. We only need for you to have one life."

* * *

><p>Alek was out of the car he had "borrowed" as soon as he found the car he had seen Chloe enter. Of course she wasn't there anymore. He shook his head as his eyes finally found her, fighting another girl while the guy she had come here with was fighting two others. He tried to watch it all as he ran to her, wondering how she had managed to get herself into this predicament.<p>

* * *

><p>Chloe was getting tired. She had been able to avoid the knife and she had stopped caring why Mariana was attacking her. She was just trying to stay uncut and do some damage to the other Mai girl.<p>

She thought that Alek had never looked so good when she saw him appear out of nowhere, grab Mariana, and hurl her violently towards the wall. They both looked at the crumpled form of her attacker. When Chloe was sure she wasn't getting up, she threw herself towards Alek, hugging him.

It turned out that she got him sideways as she wrapped her arms around him and whispered "Thank you."

He seemed to be ignoring her. "Who's your friend?"

The question startled Chloe enough that she immediately dropped her arms and followed his eyes. "Friend? You mean the guy who lied to me, who let me into a trap?"

Alek still didn't look at her. "I mean the guy whose been keeping two other guys from getting to you. Come on. He needs help."

Chloe could only watch in stunned silence until Alek motioned to her again as he fought. Shaking her head, she finally joined in the fray.

* * *

><p>That's Chloe's mom!" Jasmine said to her mother, pointing across the street from where they about to enter their building.<p>

"Yeah, got that from what she's doing," Valentina replied, watching as Meredith frantically called out for her daughter. "Does she know you?"

"No. Just Alek."

"Well go anyway, bring her back here." Valentina instructed forcefully. "We can't have her calling for Chloe like that."

"Ms. King?" Jasmine called as she neared Meredith. She was a little shocked when she saw the woman's face.

"I'm Jasmine. Chloe's friend."

"Is she here?"

"I don't know. We haven't been up to our home yet. But she's with Alek."

"Alek?"

Jasmine nodded as Meredith's face began to look relived. "Yes. Let's go upstairs and see if they're home.

Meredith followed the teen into the building and the elevator.

"Why were you looking for her here?" Jasmine asked in the elevator.

"A man called me, told me she needed help. He told me to come here."

"Alek called you?" Jasmine was having trouble hiding her surprise at the notion.

Meredith shook her head. "Not Alek. I know his voice. I trust him. It wasn't him."

Jasmine became alarmed, but tried not to show it. "Alek would never let anything happen to her."

"I know that – not to her or me. I've seen that."

Jasmine expected to see her mother when they entered the home, but she didn't. "Why don't you sit here for a minute. I'll see if I can find them."

* * *

><p>"You lied to me!"<p>

Alek watched, almost amused, as Chloe confronted Vicente. He knew they couldn't stay there, that even if the Mai lying on the pavement were dead, which he was not sure of, that others might come. He wanted to interrupt, but he kept hesitating, watching.

"I didn't." Vicente claimed. "I said…"

"You said my mom needed my help!"

"She does. My pride will go after her to try to get to you."

"You led me to them. Into a trap!"

"No! I came to warn you…"

"You drove me around and didn't say anything!"

Vicente turned to Alek, looking for help. "She threatened me. The Uniter was more intimidating than I hoped."

Alek laughed as Chloe yelled at Vicente again. "You chased me right to them!"

The Brazilian closed his eyes, not willing to look at her glare again. He was still facing Alek as he admitted "I handled it badly."

Alek finally turned to Chloe. "We need to move – go someplace safe until we figure this out."

"Fine!" Chloe said, exasperated. "Where's your car?"

"Right over there by his." Alek turned and pointed before seeing the police car there with two policemen examining both Vicente's car and the one he had arrived in.

"Not really an option," he muttered as he turned back to Chloe.

She had been looking where he pointed as well, but turned back to glare at him as she yelled "You stole a car?"

"I followed you." He defended. "It's not damaged. I'm sure it'll be returned to the owner promptly. Meanwhile, we need to move."

"Don't call me if you get arrested." Chloe muttered as she and Vicente followed Alek who was running out of the parking lot.

"Quit biting me when I save you," Alek said softly, not really caring if she heard him.

* * *

><p>"He's not answering" Valentina said to Jasmine, then turned to Meredith to ask "Did you try to call Chloe?"<p>

"Yes, several times."

"We're doing all we can to find them," the leader of the San Francisco Mai said to the Uniter's mother. "We've sent people to your house, her work, her school, and to find her friends."

Jasmine gave her mother questioning look as Meredith asked, "'People'? You have people to send?"

Valentina nodded to Meredith, then spoke to Jasmine, "She needs to know that we can find Chloe. And that we will."

Then she left the Mai teen with Chloe's mom, going to another room to direct the efforts to find the Uniter.


	3. Trust and Rage

There was something going on between the Uniter and Alek. Vicente hadn't been with them long, but he had figured that much out. They fought constantly, he wasn't sure if it was because of love or hate between them - but there was something.

He had also seen enough to know that Chloe completely trusted Alek. She would do as he said without thought, which made the nearly constant bickering even more confusing.

"How could you even get in a car with him without calling us?" Alek challenged.

"I was thinking about my mom, not you!" the Uniter shot back.

"You couldn't call from inside the car?"

"I didn't have anything to tell her then, and when we stopped I was running and fighting for my life. I didn't mean to leave my stuff in his car."

They had stopped in a rundown industrial area. At least it looked abandoned – hopefully no hostile Mai here.

"Why didn't you call someone?" Chloe demanded of Alek.

"I was..." he shook his head. "When I came to, my phone was gone."

Then Alek glared at Vicente. "I don't suppose you had something to do with that?"

Vicente had to close his eyes and take a breath before answering. Even then, he more defended his actions than answered the question.

"They know all about you - they can trace your calls. They can tell where you are. I couldn't risk that they'd follow."

"Who?" Alek demanded.

"My Pride," the Brazilian replied.

"They followed!" Alek spat back.

"Alek!" Chloe said sharply. Then she turned to Vincente. "How do they know all about him…us?"

Vicente kept his eyes steady as he replied. "You have a traitor in your Pride. Mine knows all about you - your family and friends, your habits. Those watching over you."

Chloe's faced changed from the anger, the stress, the annoyance he had seen before. She was starting to look afraid.

"I really was trying to warn you," he added.

"Good job," Alek spat towards him before putting his arm around Chloe and pulling her to face him.

"Chloe," he whispered, "it'll be OK."

She looked up into his eyes before closing her own for a few seconds as she took some calming breaths. Then she turned back to Vicente, though she held on to Alek's hand so his arm remained around her.

"If you're here to warn me, why were they waiting for me? Why did that guy say it was the plan for you to take me to him?"

"I came with the hunters," Vicente explained. "but instead of going to the rendezvous point, I went to you earlier than I was supposed to. I was trying to take you to safety, but I guess they could track the car they gave me."

"You could have called ahead." Alek growled.

"I did, I've been trying for over a week. Whenever I could get to a phone they wouldn't be able to track me on, I called your Pride. I tried other ways too, but I could tell you or they didn't believe me."

Chloe looked sharply at Alek when she could tell he was about to say something sarcastic, or worse. Then she looked back to Vicente.

"Why did you say my mom was in danger?"

"Because she is," he insisted. "They know who she is, where she works. They would try to use her to find you. I called, tried to send her to the address of your Pride leader, but I don't know if she went."

Chloe sighed, unsure if she should be grateful or angry. "I wish I could call her." She kept her eyes fixed on Vicente. "Do you happen to have a phone?" It was more an attempt at a tense joke rather than a real question, but he pulled out two phones.

Alek took a step towards him, stopping when Chloe grabbed his arm, though he still demanded "And you kept those a secret because…?"

Vicente held one up. "The Pride gave me this one. I'm pretty sure they can track it's calls, maybe listen in on it." He held the other up. "I took this other one from someone at the airport today before going to find her," he nodded towards Chloe. "I don't know if the owner knows its missing, but I wanted one the Pride doesn't know about just in case."

"I'm surrounded by thieves," Chloe muttered as Alek held his hands out to demand the phones. Vicente hesitated, looking at Chloe before handing them to him when she nodded.

Alek threw the phone from the Pride as hard as he could to the hard ground beneath them, then stomped on it.

"Alek!" Chloe demanded.

"They might have used it to track him," Alek said as he picked up the remains and threw them as far away as he could.

He was looking at the other phone, trying to decide if he should do the same, when he heard Chloe's plea. "Alek, please. I need to call my mom."

Alek studied her, then put his arm around her, turned and started walking them away from Vicente. He whispered softly to Chloe as they moved. "Do you trust him?"

"I don't know. You're the one who said he was keeping the bad guys away from me."

"He was. I watched him fighting them while I ran to you. I'm sure that's what he was doing."

Chloe stopped and looked into his eyes. "Then why would he do that, if he's not telling the truth?"

"I don't know." Alek looked into her eyes intently before saying, "When I woke and couldn't find you…" He let out a breath before continuing, "I don't ever want to feel like that again."

Chloe closed her eyes and leaned her head against his chest as she pulled him into a tight hug and nodded. "I know" she whispered.

He held onto her as long as he dared before releasing her and handing her the phone. "Call if you must, but we need to move. Whether they were tracking the phone or not, they can track us from the mall to here."

Chloe nodded, and looked towards Vicente as she accepted the phone. He was standing where they had left him, watching.

* * *

><p>Meredith must have asked the same questions a dozen times. "Where's Chloe?" "Who are you people?" "What's going on?"<p>

She was wondering if she could get out and start looking for Chloe again, when her phone rang. She looked at the screen, then at Jasmine. "I don't know who it is."

"Take it," the Mai teen encouraged with a nod.

Meredith continued to stare at Jasmine as she answered "Hello" in a cautious voice.

The voice at the other end sounded relived. "Mom?"

"Chloe! Are you all right? Where are you?"

"I'm fine, Mom. Are you?"

The Uniter's mother breathed a visible sigh of relief. "Fine. Where are you?"

Chloe quickly shook her head. "I'm not sure mom, but I really need to know where you are. Are you safe?"

"I'm at your friend Jasmine's apartment. Chloe, they're acting weird, like you're in danger and they think they can help."

She heard Chloe's sigh of relief before her daughter spoke again. "They can help, Mom. Please stay with them, trust them."

"But you?"

"I'll be fine. I'll get there as soon as I can."

"Are you with Alek?"

The question surprised Chloe. "How did you know?"

"Jasmine said you were. Chloe, what are you doing? What's going on?"

"Please, Mom. You have trust me right now. Is Valentina with you?"

When Meredith finally looked around, paying attention to those around her, she saw the woman. She automatically nodded before realizing she was on the phone. "Yes."

"Please let me talk to her. I need to be fast."

"Ok. Love you." Meredith whispered into the phone. She handed it to Valentina without waiting for 'implied' or any other answer.

Meredith watched as the woman took the phone and turned around as she listened. When Valentina did speak, it was so softly that the human couldn't hear. Then Valentina walked suddenly away from Meredith and her daughter, entering another room.

"Chloe's OK?" Jasmine asked, drawing Meredith's eyes away from the door Valentin had closed behind her.

"She says I should trust you," then Meredith muttered, "Like I'm not already".

"I know, but she'll come back here – to you. You'll see."

The mother of the Uniter closed her eyes and shook her head, so relieved, yet still so frustrated. "Why won't you tell me anything?"

Jasmine forced a smile. "It's not our place. Only Chloe can decide what you should know."

* * *

><p>Valentina's demeanor startled both Meredith and Jasmine when she returned to the living room, followed by several other Mai.<p>

Jasmine was on her feet immediately. "Mom?"

"I'm going to where Chloe is – or was," came the reply. "They're on the move again, but we'll find them as soon as we can. You need to stay here with her mother – there will be one other with you. Everyone will work in pairs from now on."

Jasmine was almost stunned by the hug Valentina gave her while whispering into her hear. "Be careful, we may have a traitor among us. And the L A Pride is sending some help. If they come here, call me and I'll tell you what to do."

Jasmine nodded and had just started to whisper "do we really need…" when her mother broke the hug and left, followed by all but one of the other Mai. The teen tried to put her 'everything will be fine' face on before she turned back to Meredith King.

* * *

><p>Amy really was trying to study, though she was mostly miffed. She was upset that Chloe hadn't been at work when she arrived at the vintage clothing store at what was supposed to be the end of her best friend's shift. She had stopped at a shop, bought a drink, tried to call Chloe again, then finally pulled out a textbook. The study thing wasn't working.<p>

Sure, Chloe apparently got off work a little early, but she could have texted, called, anything. Just because they didn't have plans …

She was startled out of her thoughts by a door opening suddenly. She saw a guy who looked livid as he entered the shop

She was too surprised to be alarmed – until she saw that the enraged guy…Mai - was coming towards her. He pulled her up and pushed her against the wall before she even had a thought about resisting. Then he was literally screaming at her.

"Where is she? Where is the Uniter?"


	4. The Hunters

"I don't know. God, I don't know." Amy said it over and over.

"Tell me!" The Mai's claws were so close to her face. She was terrified.

"Carlos!" a woman said sharply from behind him. The Mai holding her froze. Amy was afraid to look past him.

"Put her down," the woman said. It took a few seconds, but Carlos finally complied. Amy breathed a sigh of relief as he released her and took a step back.

She looked past Carlos now and saw the woman. As soon as Amy met her eyes, the woman spoke again.

"You don't know where the Uniter is, do you?" It was more statement than question, but Amy shook her head.

"She's been seen – leaving a trail of blood and pain behind her. Everything we expected."

Amy didn't understand. She started to say "Chloe wouldn't…" but the woman turned suddenly to Carlos.

"They haven't been able to find the mother or any other friends. She," the woman nodded towards Amy here, "is all we have. Bring her. We may need her to draw the Uniter out."

"I won't help you." Amy said quickly. She tried to say it in a strong voice, but it was barely more than a whisper. She knew she sounded as terrified as she felt.

The woman had turned to lead the way out, but she turned back and looked at Amy now. She looked different than she had just seconds before. She was frightening.

"You don't have to help. You only need to be seen by the Uniter and be breathing. If it turns out that you're barely breathing, that may be even better."

She turned around sharply and walked out of the shop. Amy closed her eyes and found herself barely breathing as she was carried away, imagining what would become of her.

* * *

><p>Chloe had no idea how far they had run, but they were away from the city now. Not far way, they could get back quickly if needed. There were trees and hill nears, maybe they were in or near one of the numerous parks around the city. She wondered if it was the ocean she heard when she concentrated. It could be.<p>

She knew they had been running fast – fast and long, but she wasn't really tired. She began to wonder how fast or how far she could run. She was again grateful for Alek, that he was near, that he was cool and collected despite the pressure she felt.

He took them to the top of a fairly high hill. There were scattered wooded areas nearby, but they had a good view of the area around them.

"What do you think?" Alek asked her.

"I don't know," She whispered to him tensely. She really wasn't sure – was he looking for someplace to hide, or someplace they could defend? Or both?

She still wasn't sure she trusted Vicente. Actually, she had almost decided that she did, but she didn't want to put him to the test. She just wanted this to end, she just wanted to go home.

"Vincent?" Alek asked Vicente. He was trying to get a reaction from the Brazilian by mispronouncing his name, but it wasn't working.

"It could work," Vicente said. "We can hide in those trees." He added, pointing to their left, "and still see most of the area around us."

Alek nodded, quickly scanned around them and turned to back to Chloe. "Stay here. We're going to check those trees, make sure they're safe for us."

Chloe nodded as both Mai guys ran quickly to the place Alek had pointed. She wrapped her arms around herself as she watched them until they entered the trees, then glanced around her. Everything looked calm.

She closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to hear the ocean, or whatever it was, again. Despite the calm, she heard a number of sounds, and started blocking them out one by one. The wind, the noise of insects, someone running, a few birds chirping….then it hit her. Someone was running towards her.

Her eyes were open and she was crouching, facing in the direction of the runners, in seconds. Two men were running towards her and had almost reached her.

"Alek!" she yelled as loud as she could before running as fast as she could - away from the unknown men. She had only run a few steps when one caught her. Her claws were out, swiping. She felt them hit the body and heard a soft yelp of pain, but he quickly had her down on the ground, her arms pinned to the earth above her head.

"Alek!" she yelled again as she tried to kick free. She stopped when she felt the blade close to her throat. The other man had caught up with them.

She was frozen, looking up into the cold eyes of a man who was crouched over her. She expected a snarl, but he spoke evenly, almost calmly.

"So this is the Uniter. Not quite what I expected. Still, the true test is yet to come."

"Please," Chloe manage to whisper before closing her eyes as the blade moved even closer to her throat.

"Do to her what she did to me!" The words from the man holding her arms were much more like the growl she had expected before.

The man with the blade didn't answer. He just moved the blade. She drew a quick breath as she felt it make contact with her skin, then heard a collision above her, then a fraction of a second later another one above her head.

The knife fell close to her head and she instinctively tried to pull back away from it. Then she found herself moving her head to avoid it as she was dragged a few inches and turned over onto her stomach before her arms were released. One hand immediately went to her throat to rub the small cut she had received there

Her other hand was beneath her as she tried to push herself up and see what was happening around her. Alek was fighting the man that had held her arms, Vicente the one who had tried to slit her throat. She thought they both might be winning, but couldn't be sure, so she pushed herself up, managed to get behind the man Alek was fighting, extended her claws, drove them into the man's back and yanked up.

She wanted to say something witty, or at all, but she just fell to her knees, trying to catch her breath, watching with satisfaction as Alek finished him off. She stopped watching when Alek turned to help Vicente. Instead she tried to figure out how much she was bleeding. Not a lot, she had decided by the time Alek came to stand next to her. She pushed herself up and quickly pulled him into a hug, not caring that she might get blood on him from her neck or her hand.

"Are you OK?" he asked. She could feel his tension, his concern as she nodded.

He released her when he felt her try to pull back a few seconds later, when her hand went back to her throat. He let her rub it for a few seconds before gently pulling her hand away and examining the wound.

"I think it's almost stopped bleeding. He said, putting a little saliva on his fingertips and trying to clean the cut. "Does it hurt?"

"A little," she said, grimacing as moved his fingers. Then he turned his hand over and touched the back of his hand to the wound, trying to dry it.

Alek hesitated a few seconds, then said "I think it's done."

"Thanks," she said, looking into his still tense eyes for a few seconds before turning to Vicente. She had felt him draw close, knew he was watching.

"And thank you, Vicente." She was going to add something about her knowing he was on her side now, but stopped herself when she saw his expression. "What is it?" she asked.

"You were terrified," the Brazilian said, looking and sounding confused.

"I thought I was going to die," Chloe said, nodding, a little confused herself.

"But you should have, what, six lives left?"

Chloe closed her eyes and exhaled, unsure if she was more irritated at his assumption of more prior deaths than had happened or at his cavalier attitude toward her lives. She took a calming breath before opening her eyes and trying to speak calmly – he had just saved her. She was thanking him.

"I've only died once," she said, a little too icily.

When Vicente did not answer, still seemed to not understand, Alek spoke to him – rather harshly, Chloe thought. "Which is one more time than you've died."

Vicente's expression changed, maybe to shock, as the Uniter spoke again. "I wouldn't wish it on anybody. I know how much it hurts."

"'Each death more painful than the last one'," Vicente quoted before he could stop himself. Then his expression changed to something a little more pained, empathetic – which Chloe thought was more appropriate.

"You know the verse," she said, her own expression softening.

Vicente nodded. "Everyone knows it."

Chloe turned back to Alek, who was watching her, still completely tense, upset. "Alek?" she asked softly.

"We don't do this. Mai don't hunt each other." He sounded bitter.

Chloe didn't know how to respond, was trying to think of a way when he added "We don't even know how. We're far away from the car, I've gotten rid of both phones. How can they keep finding us? We don't know how to track each other."

His tension was showing, she was afraid he might be losing the cool demeanor she had been appreciating, when Vicente spoke.

"We might know how. My Pride might."

Both of the others looked at him, but Chloe asked the question. "What do you mean?"

"Its just a rumor, but I've heard some of our hunters have been developing methods to track Mai, and practicing them." When he saw the expression on the others, he quickly added "Not me! But there is a rumor."

"Is there a rumor about how to escape the Mai-tracking hunters?" Chloe asked.

Vicente nodded. "Run on a road for awhile."

"We could be seen," the Uniter noted.

"Maybe, but we won't leave signs that can be followed, and the odors of the road and the vehicles will hide ours."

Chloe looked to Alek, but couldn't read his expression. Finally she said "We need to leave, to go somewhere else."

Alek didn't even look at Vicente. He kept his eyes on Chole as moved to stand next to her, took her hand, and scanned the landscape. Then he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as he whispered, "Then let's go." She managed to hold onto him as he walked a few steps before she felt him drop her hand and start running.

* * *

><p>Jasmine understood what Chloe's mother was feeling. She was just as tense as Meredith, just as worried about Chloe. Still, she was getting tired of the questions. She was relieved when her phone rang and she could step away for a minute.<p>

She almost didn't want to go back to the couch where Meredith waited, but she knew Chloe would want her to stay with her mother.

"They found Paul," Jasmine said as she sat down. "They're bringing him here."

"Paul? Did they look for Amy?"

"Still looking." Jasmine didn't mention that the hunters had found a shop near Chloe's work where it looked like someone had been forcibly taken by Mai. Chloe's mom was already worried enough, she didn't need another reason.

"Has Paul been here before?"

Jasmine nodded. "Yes."

"So he knows what's going on."

The Mai teen tentatively nodded in response.

"Are you seriously going to keep this from me?" Meredith asked.

Jasmine let her irritation show, just for a second. "Are you seriously going to keep asking me?"

She immediately felt guilty, but resolved to keep doing this. As far as she knew, it was still what Chloe wanted.

* * *

><p>Paul was learning that mentioning the Uniter would get the attention of the Mai hunters who had picked him up. He was told where he was going, but not really why, until he mentioned Chloe and his relationship with her. Or maybe it we the badgering, the non-stop questions.<p>

It had taken some doing, but he was finally told that Chloe was being hunted by other Mai. He didn't understand everything, but he did figure out that this was unusual. Chloe was running, and her group of Mai were having trouble finding her.

Maybe it was silly, but he thought he knew the answer. He managed to convince the hunters with him that Chloe had friends, friends that could find her quickly. Maybe calling them friends was a stretch, and he was careful not to mention that they were jackals, but they owed Chloe a favor. He was sure that if he could find Kai, he could help.

They were on the waterfront and had left the car. The hunters were tensing, but Paul pressed forward, leading them on. He was relieved when he found the place, the claw marks. He hoped they would still be here.

"Kai!" Paul called. He didn't want to enter – there were no good memories inside.

He called several more times. The hunters had been tense, but he noticed a sudden change in them. Claws were revealed as they both took a step back and gasped.

"Kai's not here."

Paul heard the growl before the one of Kai's brothers dropped down in front of him.

Paul was startled but didn't back off. He knew there were two Mai hunters behind him, he trusted they would do something if there was trouble.

"We need his help," Paul said, pleased that his voice was not as wobbly as his knees felt. "Chloe needs his help. Your help."

"Chloe," the jackal snarled.

"Yes," Paul confirmed. "The Uniter."

"Don't mention the Uniter here!" the jackal snarled in reply.

Paul was a little afraid, the hunters were even taking hold of his arms to pull him back, but he managed to say, "You owe her. You would be dead!"

"We owe her nothing!" was growled back at him.

He was intimidated now, and was turning around to leave when he heard a different voice behind him. "What does she need?"

Kai's father had just emerged from the building.

"Dad!" the son started.

The jackal leader barely turned back to yell "Shut up, boy." Then he turned back to Paul. "What does she need?"

"She's being hunted by other Mai." Paul said, still a little intimidated, though he felt better when Kai appeared next to his dad. "She's running from them. She needs to be found and protected."

"She needs us to hunt Mai?" the leader asked.

"Yeah." Paul spoke tentatively. Then hunters hadn't forced him to turn back, but were still holding on to his arm tightly.

Kai's father was grinning now. "Hunting Mai is what we do best. Where?"

Paul looked at one of the hunters who said softly to the other "They won't fit in our car."

"We don't ride in cars," the jackal said. "Just tell us where to go and try to keep up with us. We'll wait for you there, if you don't take too long."


	5. Signs and Apologies

The hunters almost wished they couldn't hear most of Valentina's phone conversation – she was not happy. And she kept mentioning jackals

At least they could tell she was not upset at them. She was upset with the Uniter's friend Paul.

It wasn't helping that they hadn't been able to find Chloe, though they were doing the best they could. It just wasn't working.

The sun had set, it was dusk. She was a little away from the others, probably more from habit than anything. She knew they could be able to hear most of what she said if she was anywhere they could see her.

She put her phone away and walked back to them. "Jackals are in the mix."

"The same ones we hunted a few weeks ago?" one hunter asked.

"Apparently. It seems Chloe's friend Paul convinced those that picked him up to lead them to their den. Now they're hunting Chloe and Paul and our hunters are tracking them."

She was shaking her head as she muttered, "I was told Chloe had befriended a jackal, but nothing else. Paul said she let the leader live, though she could have killed him. Now he says they are finding her and promise to protect her until we arrive."

"What are we going to do?" another asked.

"Follow. We need to change direction, but we're close to them."

"So we're trusting them?" one asked.

"No one said that," the leader of the Mai responded. "We outnumber them. No one said they will make it out alive. Let's go."

* * *

><p>Paul was running as fast as he could, but it wasn't very fast, and he had to stop to rest often.<p>

They made it to the mall just as the jackals were about to give up on them. There was nothing there Paul could see, but Kai had shown them where Chloe had been in two fights with other Mai. He asked Kai how he could be sure. The jackal just said something about Chloe's scent always being with them, especially with his father. He didn't say it like a good thing, and even Paul wasn't going to push it.

The hunters convinced the Jackals to carry the device that would allow them to be followed. Well, it was more Paul than the hunters. He pointed out that they would not want to be surrounded by Mai unless he was there to vouch for them. He suggested that the hunters follow quickly, leave him behind. He knew the Uniter would need as much help as possible as soon as possible, but they refused to leave him, especially after talking to Valentina.

Paul was amazed at the Jackal's speed as he watched them leave. They had started following in the car, but were off the roads very quickly. Paul couldn't begin to keep close. He was going as fast as he could, he wanted to be as close to the action as possible, but he knew he was too slow. He had to be satisfied with the fact the hunter's were able to track them and were constantly on the phone talking to Mai who were friendly to Chloe.

It never occurred to him that it might have been a mistake to bring the jackals into this, no matter what Valentina said about it.

* * *

><p>It was getting dark quickly. Chloe was sitting next to Vicente as Alek was scouting the area around them.<p>

Alek had quickly led them to a road as Vicente suggested. Luckily, it was not a very busy road, it wasn't too hard for them to dodge the cars that were moving in both directions. Vicente insisted they need to go several miles on the road without leaving it. Only that way would the trail be obscured.

It was hard for Chloe, though she wasn't sure why. She was just slower, her body didn't work as well now. Each of the others tried carrying her, they even tried having both carry her, on arm on the shoulder of each of them at one point. Though it was probably faster, it made her feel sick. She couldn't keep it up.

She wondered if there had been something on the knife that was causing her problems. Or worse, she wondered if it was some kind of reaction to being cut and bleeding. Or it could just all be in her head. All she knew for sure is that she was making this harder for Alek and Vicente, and it was killing her inside. This was hard enough already.

She was no faster when they left the road, but it was getting dark. They had to stop, find a place where they thought they could protect her, hope that help would come in time.

She felt guilty again when they had picked a spot. Alek refused to leave her alone again, but she could tell he was torn between leaving her with Vicente while doing the scouting himself, or staying with her and trusting Vicente to find any trouble around them.

She had to close her eyes at the guilt. She was beginning to think that she was causing more trouble than she was fixing.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by Vicente. "I really am sorry about my part in all of this."

She looked at him. Now that she trusted him, now that she wasn't afraid of him, she could look into his dark eyes without flinching.

"'Your part' has kept me and my mother alive. I'm a fan of your part."

He held her eyes for a few seconds, but didn't speak until he looked away. "The Uniter was spoken of with such reverence when I was younger. Everyone wanted to be alive when he…or she or whatever, came." He looked back into her eyes again. "Then the signs came and things changed."

"Signs?" Chloe asked.

"Signs that the Uniter was here."

"There were signs that I arrived?"

"Yes," Vicente responded. "But instead of being happy, most in my pride became worried. They worried they would lose power. They said that there were no longer massacres in Sao Paulo because we were strong. We didn't need someone to come and tell us we should be weak, should submit. They began to look for the Uniter, planning to take him there, make him understand."

"And they found me."

"We were surprised that the Uniter was a girl in San Francisco. He was supposed to do so much, be so strong and fearless…" He stopped when he noticed her expression.

"And from what I've seen you are strong and fearless. It was just a surprise. So they sent Nikki and Lilah to find you, see if you really were the Uniter, and if you were, to bring you back. They weren't hunters, but they were your age, spoke English, would be able to do it. Lilah came back with such stories…"

"Yeah," Chloe interrupted, irritated at the memory. "They tried to kill me."

"She said they said they did kill you – twice - before you killed Nikki."

"It wasn't me," Chloe said softly. "She kind of did it to herself."

Vicente stared at Chloe briefly before speaking again. "Not everyone believed her. But they were there to bring you back, and they didn't. I'm actually surprised she came back at all. She's not treated very well in the Pride now."

"Good," Chloe said softly, not even trying to control her reaction.

"But she did convince them that you could be the Uniter, so hunters were sent to do the job."

"Hence the drama," Chloe muttered.

"I really am sorry…" Vicente started again.

Chloe was tired of hearing it, so she tried to change the subject. "What was that song I heard you singing to yourself?" she asked.

Vicente looked questioningly at her, so she tried to repeat the words. "May oh amigo…"

He nodded and sang softly, "Eh! Meu amigo Charlie, Eh! Meu amigo Charlie Brown, Charlie Brown. Se você quiser, vou lhe mostrar, A nossa São Paulo, terra da garoa, Se você quiser, vou lhe mostrar Bahia de Caetano, nossa gente boa."

"It's beautiful. But Charlie Brown?"

Vicente shrugged. "You'd call it an oldie here. Mid 70s. It's about showing a friend the beauty of the Sao Paulo area – the mist, the good people. It's true, not that you see it in the people that came here."

"I think you're good."

Vicente nodded. "My family is really, though I have brother here somewhere, looking for you, planning to kill you, subdue your dead body, and, if you come back, carry you away."

The Uniter let a breath out, but nodded. "I need to hear the truth. But that's your brother – not you."

"Not me," the Brazilian confirmed.

They sat in silence for a few minutes and Chloe found herself stealing glances at Vicente. He was cute – hot really. And wouldn't die if she kissed him.

She hit herself in the head. 'Where did that come from?' she thought. 'Like I need…'

"Chloe?" she heard a familiar voice ask. Of course Alek would pick now to return…

* * *

><p>Amy had almost blocked everything out, just listening to what was going on around her. She had pretty much resigned herself to her fate, but would do nothing to help these kidnappers.<p>

She knew they were outside of the city now. It was dark and fairly silent. The only thing she heard was the voices of her captors, but she didn't understand what they were saying. They were speaking in another language.

She also knew there was still only two of them. She wasn't sure what she expected, but if they were going to Chloe, she thought more would be with them. Maybe they weren't that near Chloe after all, maybe she could still find a way to not be used as bait.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she was thrown harshly to the ground. Then she heard the noise – an awful noise that she knew she had heard before. It was still terrifying.

She pushed herself up and saw the Brazilians fighting four others, fighting and losing. They were dead within seconds. As the victors howled she found herself backing up, trying decide if she should run, knowing it would be no use. Then one came over.

She was too afraid to speak, she couldn't see him clearly in the dark.

"Amy, right?"

The voice was normal. She knew it, but couldn't place it.

"It's Kai."

"Kai? The Jackal?"

"Yes. We're looking for Chloe. Have you seen her?"

The human shook her head. "No. They were taking me to her. But why are you after her? All she did was help you."

"Paul said she needed help, and we're going to help her." He turned his head suddenly, then looked back to her. "They're off again – I have to catch up." Kai ran off, howling like the others.

Amy was stunned. "Seriously?" she yelled after him. "You're leaving me here alone, in the dark with dead bodies?"

No one returned, though she didn't really expect them to. "Where's Paul?" she added weakly.

She wasn't sure where to go, but she wasn't staying near the bodies of her kidnappers. She had no idea which direction they had come from, all she knew was that the jackals were going to Chloe. She started walking in that direction, grateful that she could finally walk after being carried for so long.

* * *

><p>"All <span>you've<span> done is help me," Chloe said. "All I've done is hurt you." Alek was looking at her, Chloe held his eyes. "How can you stand to even look at me?"

Alek laughed. "Actually, you're quite pleasant to look at. See for yourself – look in a mirror."

She shook her head. "Alek, I'm so sorry..." She hesitated, but when he didn't say anything, she forged on, "for everything. For telling you to leave me alone. For putting you in this situation. For slowing you down tonight. For everything."

He shook his head. Though they were already sitting next to each other, he pulled her closer, snuggled up as much as he could. "Don't. You don't have to explain yourself or apologize to me. I'm here because I want to be."

She had been looking at him but looked down now. He spoke again before she could think of something to say. "Whatever else is going on, the only place I ever want to be is right next to you."

She looked at him, shivered as she felt his kiss on her forehead. "How can you stand me?" she whispered, "I don't understand."

"I'm just trying to keep you around for that first date you promised me" he said softly, "which, like on the cargo ship, this is not."


	6. Not Forgetting

Amy was running now, but it was hard. She had heard something and was looking for a place to hide. She finally managed crouch behind a bush.

She cringed when they were suddenly around her. It seemed that they didn't even have to look for her. The people around her were just there. She could barely see, but they didn't even shine a flashlight on her.

Again she was too terrified to speak. They just looked at her for a few seconds, then a woman spoke.

"You're Amy, Chloe's friend, aren't you?"

The mention of Chloe made her breathe a little easier, but not enough to speak. She barely managed to nod.

"We thought you were taken."

"I was," she managed to whisper.

"By the bodies we saw. Jackals? They left you alone – didn't hurt you?"

Amy nodded. "They're going to Chloe."

"We're not far behind. We'll catch them very soon. Don't go in that direction, there's danger. Go the opposite. Paul is coming from there."

"But Chloe is that way," Amy said, but before all of the words were out, they were gone – she was alone.

"Seriously?" she cried in frustration. "Again?"

* * *

><p>"You shouldn't do that," Alek said softly to Chloe. She was scratching at the cut on her neck again. "It's bleeding a little."<p>

"It hurts," Chloe said, pulling her hand away. "I wish I had a bandage."

"I can cover it," Vicente offered.

Chloe held her breath as she watched him pull a bright yellow handkerchief out of his pocket and tie it around her neck. Alek watched too, though his face held a different expression.

"Give them a target," Alek muttered, more upset about the way Chloe was looking at Vicente than at the gesture.

Chloe quickly looked away, "It's fine. Thanks."

Alek closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he heard.

"They're coming," he whispered. "We've been found."

Chloe looked at him and closed her eyes, trying to hear.

"I'd say ten," Vicente said softly.

"Ten what?" Chloe asked.

"Hunters." Alek whispered.

"Ten?" Chloe exclaimed, loud enough that Alek put a finger to her lips. She took a breath and whispered "We already took out five. How many came?"

Vicente looked at her for a second before deciding it would do no good to hide it from her. "Thirty, including me."

"They're scattered at least," Alek offered.

"But they'll all come to us, once they're sure she's here," Vicente said.

They were up now, knowing they would see the hostile hunters soon. Alek and Vicente had moved to stand between Chloe and where the hunters were coming from.

"I can't let you do this." Chloe said. She remembered to speak softly this time, but she was getting nervous, afraid. "We can't stand against ten."

"You're not going to be here," Alek said, as he pointed behind her. "Go. Valentina's looking for us. We'll hold them off until she gets here."

"I'll let them take me," she argued. "I'll bet Valentina will get here before they kill me eight times."

Alek grimaced before replying, but Vicente spoke first. "You already told me you don't want to die again. And that's not what they would do - they'd only kill you once, then take you. How long would that take?"

"I can't let you do this," Chloe said, closing her eyes and trying to think of something.

"Go!" Alek said sharply, but softly. She looked into his eyes only briefly before turning and running, telling herself she would be back as soon as the enemy showed.

"How many do you think you can take, Vince?" Alek asked as he saw the figures running towards them.

"More than you, Lilac." Vicente replied.

Alek suppressed a laugh at the returned barb as he and the Brazilian put some space between them before the onslaught began.

* * *

><p>She was afraid it would happen, and she was right.<p>

Vicente's estimate was close – she counted eleven, but only four had stopped to fight Alek and Vicente – two each.

She had run until they were out of sight, trying to leave a distinct trail to follow, then had come back a different way, trying to leave no trail.

At first she thought it had worked – those passing Alek and Vicente passed by her as well. She was about to help those fighting for her when she heard one of the hunters call back.

"Uniter. We know you're here. Come out, and only you will suffer death."

Chloe closed her eyes, trying to think. She could clearly hear the fights on one side of her, the hunters moving towards her on the other side

"We have your friend – Amy is it? She is close, but I will call and she will die now if you do not show yourself."

"Okay," Chloe said, emerging from her hiding place. "Don't hurt her."

"No!" she heard Alek yell. She had come out facing his fight, and saw that the distraction she had created pulled his attention away from his opponent – he was hit and knocked down from behind.

"Alek!" she managed to say before two Brazilian Mai grabbed her, one holding on to each of her arms.

Then there was a man in font of her, facing her, smirking.

"You said you wouldn't hurt them," Chloe told him, trying to sound strong.

"I said we wouldn't kill them," the hunter replied. Alek was back on his feet, fighting, but Chloe could see some of the other Brazilians going towards Vicente and Alek.

The man facing her had turned around to watch when he suddenly spun around. "What is this?"

He had spun around again before she heard the howls. "Jackals!" he yelled, but they were already on some of the hunters. The hunter on one side of Chloe had dropped her arm and moved away. She made a fist and slammed it into the face of the hunter on the other side, forcing him to drop her arm as well. She was moving against him where he had fallen, but he was up and trying to run away, chased by a jackal.

She turned back, recognized Kai's dad, and yelled "No! Not him!"

The jackal looked up from almost hitting Vicente. "He's not one of you!"

"He's helping me, protecting me!" Chloe yelled as she ran towards them. The jackal dropped Vicente and moved on.

Chloe watched him pull himself up before she had reached him, then she surveyed the scene around her. More than half of the Brazilian hunters were down. "No more!" she yelled. "Just hold them."

"Stop! Just hold them." Kai's dad repeated.

Chloe glanced at Vicente, who was sitting, resting, but watching her. She turned and ran to Alek

* * *

><p>Chloe was resting, sitting between Alek and Vicente when Valentina arrived with the others. Kai had told her that friendly Mai were tracking the jackals, so she knew help was close, but she was still relieved when it actually arrived. Just the time it took for the friendly Mai to arrive told her that the jackals had saved them – the Mai would not have arrived in time.<p>

She could tell Valentina wasn't happy, though she was unsure if it was because she had done something wrong, because of the jackals, or because of the situation in general.

"There are more of their hunters out there," Chloe told Valentina.

"We know," the Mai leader responded. "We've picked some up already, so has the L A Pride."

"There were thirty," Chloe added. "We only saw half of them."

"Then they're all accounted for," Valentina said, still unhappy.

Kai's dad came to talk to Chloe. She was annoyed at the reaction of the other nearby Mai, sure it was because, according to Alek, Jackals reeked. 'Show some gratitude,' she thought.

"Thanks for this," Chloe said to the leader before he spoke.

"We owed you," the jackal said. "Now we're even."

"Please don't think of it like that. I don't want to be your enemy."

"You're not. We need to leave now." Chloe could tell he was looking at the other Mai and wondered if he was worried about them.

"You can go, the Mai won't bother you. Not these Mai." That drew a hard look from Valentina, so Chloe added "If they are bothered by Mai, the … Uniter won't, uh, unite."

Chloe recognized Valentina's expression this time. It was exasperation. The leader of the Pride pulled Alek away from them saying "We need to talk," while Vicente, who was standing next to Chloe laughed.

"This is the Uniter?" A loud voice called from few feet away from Chloe, somewhere between her and where Alek was being pulled to. "She lets jackals kill Mai?"

Chloe turned to look at him just in time to see him running towards her with a knife. Just before he reached her, Vicente was between them – taking the blow from the knife in his chest.

"David!" came a call from several locations at once. Several turned to them but a jackal reached him first. He was dead before others reached them.

There were several others quickly around Vicente, but they were just standing, looking. "Help him!" Chloe yelled, kneeling at his side.

"They can't," Valentina said from behind her, "he's…"

Chloe thought she heard a whisper from Vicente's lips. She moved her ear next to his mouth and heard "Don't forget me."

She turned her head to face him. "I won't. I promise. Anyone who knows about me will know about you and what you did for me."

"I won't forget" she repeated as she was pulled up by Alek.

"He's dead," she heard Valentina say as she buried her tear-streaked face into Alek's shoulder.

* * *

><p>"Mom!" Chloe ran to her mother and pulled her into a tight hug as soon as she entered the room.<p>

Valentina and Alek had gone back with Chloe, leaving the other San Francisco Mai to attend to the dead and living from the Sao Paulo Pride.

"Chloe! Are you all right?"

The Uniter nodded, pulling back to look into her mother's eyes. "I'm fine. I'm good."

Meredith still looked concerned and Chloe wasn't sure why. "Mom?"

"What's this? Blood?" Meredith reached for the handkerchief around her neck.

"Mom it's nothing." Chloe almost stopped her mother from removing it, but held back. "I got cut."

Valentina was there now, examining the cut as well. "We'll clean it," she said, pulling Chloe towards the bathroom.

"We did what we could." Chloe said as she was pulled away. "Alek spit on it."

Meredith turned to stare at Alek, who finally said "It was much more caring and gentle than she's letting on…"

* * *

><p>"Were there really signs that I arrived?" Chloe asked, grimacing as Valentina cleaned the cut on her neck.<p>

"There were."

"So you knew I was here."

"We knew the Uniter was here…somewhere. We didn't know she was in San Francisco."

Chloe nodded as Valentina applied a bandage. She was about to leave when the Mai leader spoke again. "Really Chloe. Jackals?"

The Uniter was tired. She almost didn't bother to answer but finally said "I had to start this Uniter stuff somewhere."

Valentina looked at her with another expression Chloe couldn't read, then finally said "I don't understand you very often. I don't really understand what you do and why – but I guess you know by now that I don't have to. You seem to do what you think is right, which is all we want from the Uniter."

Chloe nodded, and Valentina spoke again. "I may not understand you, but I'm not blind. Alek would die for you in a second – without thinking."

"I know," Chloe replied soflty.

"But I don't think you would let him. Chloe, it can't be that way. You have to let him, let all of us protect you – no matter the cost."

"I'm not so sure about that," Chloe said as she finally left the bathroom.

* * *

><p>"I'm double parked!" Meredith remembered as Chloe returned from the bathroom. "We need to leave, if we still have a car."<p>

"It was moved," Jasmine said quickly. "I'll take you there."

Meredith exhaled, remembering that all of her questions went unanswered. "Chloe, I love you and I'm grateful that you're safe, give or take a little blood, but when we get home, you are going to sit your butt down and…."

Chloe stopped listening. She knew what would happen anytime her mother brought her butt up. She looked to Alek, who was watching her, and went to him, not even sure if her mother was still talking.

"Thank you," she said giving him a quick kiss on the lips and hugging him. "I know it's all I ever say to you, but thank you."

"Actually, you used to say 'go away' fairly often," Alec said, smiling. "And you've added 'sorry' lately."

Chloe laughed. "I can never repay you."

"Maybe, but you can give me that date."

Jasmine noticed Meredith watching Chloe and Alek, so she said "He was with her the entire time, doing everything he could to protect her. She really is safe with him."

Meredith nodded and went over to him. She hugged him tightly saying "Thank you for what you've done for her, for us."

Alek nodded as she stepped back. "I'll do it for as long as she'll let me." Then he smiled and added "Now I believe you have an interrogation to perform."

Chloe couldn't believe it. She scowled, saying "Just a little help here?"

"What?" Alek asked. "All I've done for you and you want more?"

"Well, yeah…" Chloe muttered headed for the door with her mother and Jasmine.

"Oh, and do try keep your butt intact…" Alek called out as Chloe went through the door.

- The End - (except for the Epilogue)


	7. Epilogue: Self Control

Though they were in the car, Chloe heard her friends as soon as the car turned onto the driveway.

"Chloe!" Amy yelled as she pulled at the door, forcing Meredith to stop the car.

Chloe looked at her mom. "Please?"

Meredith kept her face fairly hard, but nodded. "It's late and it's a school night. Five minutes, but inside - with me there."

Chloe nodded gratefully, knowing that was as much slack as she was getting tonight. She left the car and started to say "Are you guys OK?", but found herself being hugged tightly before she got very far.

"You're OK." Amy said breathlessly. "They were going to kill you."

"I am," the Mai girl agreed, turning to look at her mom who was just exiting the car. "We have to go inside. My mom is not happy right now – you can't stay long."

Paul was suddenly grinning. "Then maybe you'd better thank me now."

Amy shook her head as Chloe glanced at her mom, then back to Paul with a questioning look.

"Jackals," Paul said, grinning even bigger.

"He's so proud of himself," Amy muttered.

"You got them to help me?" Chloe asked, a little surprised. She had wondered why they were there, how they had known she needed help.

Paul just grinned and nodded.

"Paul!" Amy said, giving him a bit of a shove.

"No, Amy, he's right." Chloe said quickly. "I think they saved me - us. Me and Alek and…"

"Chloe!" Meredith yelled, still standing next to the car in the garage. "Inside!"

"We'd better go." Chloe whispered, leading the way for the others.

* * *

><p>Paul was still animated as they sat at the bar in the kitchen. Amy had already told him that the jackals rescued her, now to hear that Chloe was saved by them just pumped him up even more.<p>

Meredith was nearby, listening and watching. Her expression had changed – no longer hard, but nowhere near soft, not even curious.

"I get it and I'm grateful," Chloe told Paul, trying to get him to speak softer around her mom. He hadn't really said anything, just his enthusiasm was getting to her. Then she turned to Amy.

"What did you do during all of this?" Chloe asked.

Amy glanced at Meredith before answering. Chloe could tell she was finally glad to be the object of attention, and was going to make the most of it. "Waited for you. Got kidnapped by hunters, freed by jackals, left alone in the middle of nowhere in the dark, then waited for you some more."

Meredith's face was suddenly shocked as she gasped, but she didn't speak.

Chloe bit her lip and spoke very softly. "I'm so sorry."

"And" Amy continued, with a nod, "I left my cell phone at some shop near your work. That's my third this year. I don't know if they'll give me another if I can't get it back."

Chloe let out a relived laugh knowing that, whatever had happened, Amy was still pretty close to normal.

"We'll get it back," Chloe said. "I'll put my people on it."

Meredith was suddenly up, speaking sharply. "That's it. It's after midnight. You two have seen her, you're fine, she's fine, time to go!"

Chloe wasn't sure why her mother was suddenly upset, she just nodded as Paul and Amy told her they would see her tomorrow. She didn't even try to talk herself out of the discussion this time.

Her mom's serious talk face was on as she sat at the table. She just looked at Chloe for a few minutes, making the teen even more nervous. "I don't know where to begin," she finally said, her voice steady.

Chloe had to take a breath. Knowing this was coming didn't help at all. "How did you get to Jasmine's?" she asked.

Meredith closed her eyes and decided this was as good a way as any to start. "I got a call from someone – he said you were in danger, told me to go there."

Chloe nodded. "He was trying to protect you."

"He? Who? One of your 'people'?"

Chloe took another breath to steady herself. "I don't have people."

"Really?" Meredith challenged, standing now though remaining by the table. Chloe was still at the bar, thinking she was referring to her comment to Amy.

"It was a joke, Mom."

"Not according to Valentina."

Chloe sighed and looked away. "What did she tell you?"

"A lot less than you're going to tell me." She suddenly switched to concerned mother mode and came close to Chloe, gently touching the bandage on her neck. "What happened to you, Chloe? How did you get this?"

Chloe shut her eyes, trying to push away the tears that were starting to form. It didn't work.

"Chloe, please." Her words were so gentle, Chloe pulled her into a tight hug.

"They tried to slit my throat…to…to kill me," she managed to get out, her voice breaking, finishing in a whisper.

She felt her mother's gasp before she heard the word. "Who?"

"I don't really know who. Some just want…" She let her voice trail off. She still hadn't decided if she was going to tell everything…or anything.

"But you stopped them?" Meredith asked.

Chloe spoke into her mothers shoulder, still hugger her tightly. "Alek and Vicente stopped them."

"Alek," her mother repeated, letting another breath escape. Chloe nodded as her mother continued. "And Vi.."

"Vicente," the daughter finished. "He was there too, protecting me."

"Thank god," she said, sounding relieved. "I'd like to meet him."

Chloe had thought she was over it, she had managed to calm down on the trip back from where she had been fighting for her life. Alek held her close the entire way, Valentina just remained silent. She thought she had control of herself by the time she saw her mother Alek's, but any self-control she had was gone now. Chloe just sobbed and tried to breathe normally.

"Chloe!" Meredith said, tightening the hug.

"He's dead, Mom," the United managed to say between sobs. "He died to save me."

Chloe quit trying to control her sobs. She just let herself cry.

When the tears had stopped, Meredith pulled away to give her daughter room to breathe. "Did you call the police?"

Chloe shook her head. "They can't do anything."

"But his family…"

"Is in Brazil!" Chloe interrupted. "Valentina's taking care of it. The police can't do anything about this."

"And what about you, and Amy? Was she really kidnapped?"

Chloe nodded. "They can't do anything about that either."

"There's witnesses…"

"Who won't say anything. Neither will Amy. They can't do anything about this. Only Valentina can."

"And exactly who is Valentina?"

Chloe was exhausted. She looked at her mom with a tired expression. "She helps me, she tries to protect me."

Meredith could see that Chloe was tired – she was as well, but she wasn't ready to let this go just yet. "Then I guess the real question is, who are you?"

Chloe looked into her mother's eyes, tired of the lies, the deceptions, but knowing that her answer could change everything. She had said a lot, but nowhere near everything. There were lines that had not been crossed, bridges that had not yet been burned.

The Uniter closed her eyes, thinking that this is not what the life of a 16 year old should be. "I'm just your daughter, Mom, and I'm really, really tired."

-The End- (for real this time…)

* * *

><p><em>I didn't intend to do an epilogue, but you were so nice and some asked for more. If you know my Vampire Diaries stories, you know that when I added an epilogue, the story line would continue. Not this time. The finale has knocked off half the characters in this story, and I like to make the story pretty believable in the show's storyline… so I don't think I can continue along this line.<em>

_I didn't know if my brand of story would appeal to the Nine Lives of Chloe King readers here, but this has been very well received, and I am grateful to you for that._

_I don't think this story-line can go on, but my mind has been on the finale quite a bit. Maybe I can do something starting from that. If you'll read, I'll write, (though I might write whether you read or not…). I might want a Beta, though (I had a superb Beta for the last couple of Vampire Diaries stories, but this is not her game). Anyone know a good Chloe Beta?_

_Thanks for coming along on this…_

_John Reed_


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